SARS-CoV-2 lineage EG.5.1 has an advantage at evading neutralizing antibodies. As a result of vaccination or infection, our immune system produces antibodies that attach to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, preventing the virus from entering and replicating within cells. In response, the virus develops mutations that cause antibodies to bind less effectively to the spike protein. Since May 2023, the EG.5 lineage of SARS-CoV-2, known as Eris, has been spreading globally and was classified as a “Variant of Interest” by…
Researchers at TU Dresden create pioneering approaches for the detection of viral antigens. The outbreak of the COVID pandemic in 2020 has once again shown how important reliable and rapid detection methods are to initiate effective measures to combat a pandemic. Scientists from the Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at TU Dresden (TUD) have made considerable progress in the development of highly innovative solutions for the detection of viral pathogens in two studies they presented recently. The results of…
Fraunhofer IAF shows its latest advances in high-frequency electronics based on III-V compound semiconductors at the European Microwave Week 2023 (EuMW) in Berlin. In addition to its participation at the trade fair, the institute is represented in 18 conference papers and its researcher will give presentations, among others, on integrated circuits for terahertz frequencies as well as submillimeter-wave MMICs and modules. From satellite communications to directional radio links for Industry 4.0 and 5G/6G as well as cryogenic electronics for quantum…
The project coordinated by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia has been funded with 3 million euro by the European Union. A tool that uses light to study biological molecules without interfering with their nanometric structure and that allows scientists to image basic living mechanisms with sub-millisecond acquisition time. It is the new generation microscope Micro4PAP, which is able to perform in-vivo imaging of the cell mechanical properties (rigidity, stiffness, viscosity), which is under development within the EU-funded project Micro4PAP led by…
Herbig-Haro (HH) objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars, formed when stellar winds or jets of gas spewing from these newborn stars form shock waves colliding with nearby gas and dust at high speeds. This image of HH 211 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals an outflow from a Class 0 protostar, an infantile analog of our Sun when it was no more than a few tens of thousands of years old and with a mass only 8% of…
Göttingen University researchers use mathematical model to identify new mechanism for control of phase separation. The very first life on earth is thought to have developed from “protocells” – liquid mixtures of many different types of molecules. Researchers from the University of Göttingen have now shown that in such mixtures, small imbalances in the number of molecules of different types can have an unexpected effect. A surprising interplay with the complex pattern of interactions strongly amplifies such imbalances – meaning…
A research team relies on measuring the number of galaxy members to determine the mass of galaxy clusters. “Cosmologists believe that only about 20% of the total matter is made of regular or ‘baryonic’ matter, which includes stars, galaxies, atoms, and life,” explains first author Dr. Mohamed Abdullah, a researcher at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics-Egypt, Chiba University, Japan. “About 80% is made of dark matter, whose mysterious nature is not yet known but may consist of…
The vertebral bones that form the spine are derived from a distinct type of stem cell that secretes a protein favoring tumor metastases, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery opens up a new line of research on spinal disorders, helps explain why solid tumors so often spread to the spine, and could lead to new orthopedic and cancer treatments. In the study, published Sept. 13 in Nature, the researchers discovered that vertebral bone is…
Researchers at Utah State University have successfully demonstrated that hagfish slime proteins can accurately replicate membranes in the human eye. Professor Elizabeth Vargis and her team study a condition called age-related macular degeneration that causes damage to the retina, making it difficult to see. They study in vitro models, or a model developed in a laboratory setting, of Bruch’s membrane, a layer in the retina of the eye, to compare the natural aging process to the effects of AMD. They…
Scientists find evolutionary clues while examining microbes in far-flung hot springs. Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity. The findings yield clues to the evolution of life and whether some of the hardiest microbes may be harnessed for biotechnology. The study was the first of its kind to sample hot springs on three continents with water temperatures above 65 C (149 F) in the United States, Iceland and…
Quantum computers can solve certain computational problems much faster than ordinary computers by using specific quantum properties. The basic building blocks of such machines are called quantum-bits or qubits. Qubits can be realised using several physical platforms such as nuclear spins, trapped ions, cold atoms, photons, and using superconducting Josephson circuits. Several such qubits operate in the microwave frequency domain, and require specialised room temperature microwave electronics for control and readout of the quantum states of the qubits. However, there…
Scientists combine Bessel beam two-photon microscopy with high throughput analysis for faster and more precise measurements of blood flow. The brain is perhaps the most sensitive organ with respect to changes in blood flow and oxygen supply. Even brief interruptions in capillary flow (or “stalling”) can indicate acute neurological issues; evidence suggests that chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are closely related to stalling events. Thus, investigating the effects of stalling could lead to the development of therapies for…
A new study updates the planetary boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet and, thereby, increasing the risk of triggering dramatic changes in overall Earth conditions. For over 3 billion years, the interaction between life (represented by the planetary boundary, Biosphere Integrity) and climate have controlled the overall environmental conditions on Earth. Human activities, for example replacing nature with other land uses, changing the amount of water in rivers and in soil, the introduction of synthetic…
Does the human brain have an Achilles heel that ultimately leads to Autism? With a revolutionizing novel system that combines brain organoid technology and intricate genetics, researchers can now comprehensively test the effect of multiple mutations in parallel and at a single-cell level within human brain organoids. This technology, developed by researchers from the Knoblich group at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Treutlein group at ETH Zurich, permits the identification of…
… of fiber composites from rotor blades. Wind turbines typically operate for 20 to 30 years before they are undergoing dismantling and recycling. However, the recycling of fiber composites, especially from the thick-walled rotor blade parts, has been inadequate until now. The prevailing methods involve thermal or mechanical recycling. For a sustainable and holistic recycling process, a research consortium led by Fraunhofer IFAM is pooling their expertise to recover the fibers through pyrolysis. Subsequent surface treatment and quality testing of…
New material concept allows more cost-effective production of blue organic light-emitting diodes. Blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which can be used in smartphones, televisions or other devices, are still difficult to manufacture today. A team of researchers led by Gert-Jan Wetzelaer of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research has now developed a new material concept that allows blue OLEDs to be manufactured easily and cost-effectively. The efficiency of the developed light-emitting diode is already comparable to commercially available ones…
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